Orthodox activists threaten violence against
movie theatres

Aleksei Uchitel's new film "Matilda," which
still
has not been released, has become the object of criticism on the
part of
hierarchs of the Russian Orthodox Church and bureaucrats: thus,
Bishop of
Egorev Tikhon Shevkunov called the picture, which describes a
romantic episode
from the life of Nicholas II, "slander," and Deputy Natalia
Poklonskaia has already twice asked the prosecutor general's
office to conduct
an examination of the film. Meduza is publishing an open letter
from more than
40 members of the Cinema Union [Kinosoiuz] regarding the
situation surrounding
"Matilda."

Aleksei Uchitel's film "Matilda" is scheduled
to
be released for circulation only in October 2017, and nobody has
yet seen it.
But for more than a month now a campaign has been conducted
against the
picture, which only short-sighted people can regard as unique
publicity. State
Duma Deputy Natalia Poklonskaia has already twice now tried to
initiate a prosecutorial
examination on suspicion of hurting believers' feelings. They are
concerned
that Emperor Nicholas II, who was canonized by the RPTs, may be
shown as not
quite the image of a "saint." After all, the basis for the film's
story is his romance (which, however, was ended back before his
coronation and
marriage) with ballerina Matilda Kshesinskaia. That's minor. We
have learned about
the delivery to cinemas of the country of letters in the name of a
certain
organization, "Orthodox state—Sacred Rus," with threats to those
distributors who risk showing "Matilda." These letters contain
calls
for burning down cinemas and violent actions.

The situation surrounding "Matilda" fits in
with a
number of other recent conflicts in the field of culture: these
are the ban on
the opera Tannhauser, the pogrom of the exhibit of Vadim Sidur,
and discontent
with the Hermitage's exhibition policy. In all of these episodes
so-called
"Orthodox activists" act with evident power, but the official
church
does not give an assessment of what is happening. At best, the
Ministry of
Culture also takes a wait-and-see position.

We, cinematographers, especially of the older
generation,
know well that such censorship in the course of several decades of
the soviet
period cripples the fate of artists and hinders the development of
art. We do
not want our culture to fall under the weight of a new censorship,
no matter
which influential forces may initiate it. We wish to live in a
secular,
democratic country, where censorship is forbidden not only
according to the
constitution but also in reality.

This letter was initiated by the Cinema Union,
but
signatures are welcomed from cinematographers regardless of their
membership,
since this is a threat common to all. (tr. by PDS, posted 8
February 2017)

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